Russell was born on August 17, 1969 in historic Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Growing up, he spent his childhood traveling yearly between his mother’s rural hometown and his father’s home in Mattapan. Several of Russell’s later school years were spent in Boston, where he graduated from Thompson Middle School and Hyde Park High School. In 1992, he obtained his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, and in 2000, his MBA from Northeastern. In 2007, he obtained his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification.